Skip the Ties — All Dad Wants for Father’s Day Is You

If you're having a tough time finding a gift for Father's Day, you're not alone. But here's the good news: most dads don't want anything other than to spend a little extra time with you.

We know it sounds trite and will make retailers scream in horror, but it's the truth.

A survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for the shopping site RetailMeNot revealed 40 percent of dads chose "quality time with family (dinner, grilling, outing)" as their top "gift" choice. And almost a quarter of fathers said they didn't want anything at all.

Regardless, marketers are good at making us think we have to spend money. Data released by the National Retail Federation said the average person will spend about $117 on Father’s Day gifts this year—up 10 percent from last year.

If you absolutely can't bear the thought of not getting your dad anything, forego the usual ties and golf clubs. The RetailMeNot survey did point out that after "family time" or "nothing at all," the third most popular gift choice of fathers was a gift card. But even that was chosen by just 13 percent of men.